Garlic Udon Noodles

5 from 2 votes

This easy 15-minute garlic udon noodles recipe is chewy, savory, and packs a punch of garlic for the tastiest takeout style dinner at home.

Servings servings

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 7

Total Time 15

Equipment

Ingredients

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1½ tsp sesame oil
1½ tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili oil
½ tsp oyster sauce
½ tsp powdered ginger
1 tbsp butter
1 head garlic minced, about 4 tbsp
14 oz Japanese udon vacuum sealed
1 pinch salt
1 pinch white pepper
2 scallions sliced thin

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

First, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili oil, oyster sauce, and powdered ginger. Whisk thoroughly until fully combined.
Preheat a wok over medium-high heat, then add the butter, swirling it around to help it melt.
Once the butter is fully melted, add minced garlic to the wok and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes, moving it around to prevent sticking. If you hear a lot of sizzling right away, you may have to lower the heat so the garlic doesn't burn.
Pour the sauce into the wok and stir or swirl to incorporate the minced garlic and butter evenly with the sauce. Then add the udon and stir fry until steaming and noodles are warmed through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Season with a pinch of salt and white pepper, tossing the noodles to combine. Then stir in sliced scallions and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Notes

Japanese udon: Look for the cooked, prepackaged udon in vacuum sealed packs at the store. These chubby noodles are the perfect vehicle for this savory, garlicky sauce! If you can't find them, this recipe also works well with Chinese lo mein noodles. Simply cook your choice of noodles according to the package directions before adding to the wok and stir frying.

Fresh garlic: This recipe absolutely needs a fresh head of garlic. Mincing a whole head of garlic can feel like a lot of work, but we guarantee it's worth it! We tried making this dish with jarred minced garlic and found it wasn't sticky enough to incorporate well with the sauce and noodles - more than half of it ended up in the bottom of the wok and there wasn't nearly enough garlic flavor in the final dish.

Cooking with a wok: If you've never used a wok before, it can be tricky. Check out our blog post above for some helpful best practices. If you don't have a wok, this recipe can also be made in a large nonstick saute pan.

Author: Nicole Langdon

Calories: 446kcal

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Fusion

Keyword: brown sugar, butter, chili oil, comfort food, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, quick recipes, rice vinegar, scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, udon

Nutrition